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May 2, 2024

Lincoln Marathon Runner Comments

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Course 4.3

Organization 4.6

Spectators 4.3

Number of comments: 228 [displaying comments 11 to 21]

More Comments: [ < 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 .. 23 > ]

t. y. from iowa (5/2/2016) "Well organized nebraska race" (about: 2016) 6-10 previous marathons \| 1 Lincoln Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 The 2016 race was cool and rainy, but crowd support in the first half of the race was excellent. The half marathoners outnumber marathoners 8 to 1, so crowd support dies out after mile 13. Still, volunteers cheerfully staff the food stations and most have Gatorade (in cups with straws), orange slices, and sports gels. The finish on the 50 yard line in the Cornhusker's stadium is tremendous and post-race food and support was strong. The city of Lincoln takes pride in hosting this race and it shows. Overall, a well organized race that I would recommend to anyone.
S. D. from Lincoln, Nebraska (5/5/2015) "Better half than full" (about: 2014) 2 previous marathons \| 1 Lincoln Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 4 I recommend this race for the half, but I'm not a fan of the full. 90% of the runners do the half, so there's a lot more support and spectators on the first half of the course. That part is also much more scenic and shaded. The second half of the course is an out-and-back along a bike trail, with minimal shade. Slower runners will have a 30-45 minute delay before crossing the starting line, which is a concern for those who are worried about the heat. There's also a fair amount of congestion on the first half of the course, especially around the 10k mark.
C. B. from Des Moines, IA (5/5/2015) "Enjoyable, Well Organized Marathon" (about: 2015) 6-10 previous marathons \| 1 Lincoln Marathon COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 I ran as part of the National Guard team and was put up in a motel very near the start/finish line so I cannot speak for parking. The course was decent and was lined with spectators pretty well throughout the half-marathon. The design of the course is well thought out to allow any full marathoner to switch to the half if they should choose to. 2nd half had less spectators but by no means empty. Police support at intersections was fantastic. The finish line became a bit congested after the medal but prior to reaching the refreshments and they may need to widen this area out a bit. After that little bit of congestion it was very well organized with medical and massages. I would say one of the best organized finish areas that I have seen thus far.
J. S. from United States (6/18/2014) "Really a Half Marathon Race" (about: 2014) 11-50 previous marathons \| 1 Lincoln Marathon COURSE: 2 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 2 This race,while billed as the Lincoln Marathon is really a half marathon race with some full marathon participants thrown in. Of the nearly 10,000 finishers, nearly 9000 finishers were for the half. The second half of the course is sparse, aid stations too far apart, and not many runners. As part of my 50 state quest (30 marathons completed) I selected Lincoln but in hindsight should have selected another Nebraska race. Not enough focus on the full marathon.
B. C. from Omaha, NE (2/12/2014) "Great Experience" (about: 2011) 1 previous marathon \| 1 Lincoln Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 4 Really enjoyed my first marathon experience. Pros: The runners, fans, and organizers were all friendly Aid stations were stocked; water and gatorade provides all with lids & straws Starting at finishing at Memorial Stadium was a good experience. Tons of fans for the first half Interesting route the first half Pacers with very visible signage made it easy to get in the area you needed to be in Massage afterwards was awesome Cons Pretty crowded, particularly the trail piece early on The back half of the race was really boring with few spectators to cheer you on Somewhat difficult parking situation at the University, although probably should've located a shuttle
k. l. from Seattle, WA (5/22/2013) "Great race, highly recommended." (about: 2013) 6-10 previous marathons \| 1 Lincoln Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 5 FANS: 5 Good organization, excellent crowd support, nice course-although it is NOT flat. I ran New Orleans, that's what flat is, LOL! But the few rolling hills are easy enough to deal with. oh and row of National Guardsmen standing at attention at the end-kind of makes you feel good :) Pros: -Good organization -Not gimmicky -Excellent traffic support by the police! -National Guardsmen handed out long stem red roses to female finishers..and the men that wanted them I guess :) -The Medal is a Big Penny! (yes the medal is only about the size of a half dollar, but if it was bigger it would look cheezy I think)definitely one of the neater ones I've gotten. -Free massage at the end of the race -Excellent water/fuel support -Relatively flat, rolling hills no big deal even if you didn't train for them -Crowd support was fabulous and friendly and there were people almost everywhere. -Out and back was ok because you could see the National guard team members Hauling butt to qualify and it was encouraging -Nice tech-T, the sizes for women are in actual womens sizes which is super nice, but seemed big. They had a table for trading sizes, but I couldn't trade for a small because they had none for trading, so if you're small...sign up for small! -Expo hotel was awesome, pool with Hot Tub, staff was knowledgeable Cons: -The trail. Oh that trail. While it would be a wonderful running trail alone or with 3 runners, I was with the 4:20 pace group and it was a clustered mess. If your a middle of the pack runner, try to be patient through this part, passing is dangerous along the uneven grass on the side. -The free massage ended too early for the later runners. I finished around 4:30 and as I was getting massaged they were asking their massage volunteers to please stay a little longer for the slower runners. Maybe they could have shifts for them? (but they were AWESOME to volunteer anyways and I got a good light post run massage) -Some people complained about the unpredictable weather. Was in the 80's the prior weekend and low 40's for race. Seemed perfect to me for race weather, ran the whole thing with earmuffs on because of the wind though. Overall good experience, worth the trip.
A. R. from Gardner, KS (5/7/2013) "I'd recommend the half." (about: 2013) 4-5 previous marathons \| 2 Lincoln Marathons COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 5 I'd definitely tell friends to run the Lincoln Half. The spectators were amazing (second only to Fargo), thick all along the Half route and genuinely engaged and cheering. As a UNL graduate, I like being back in Lincoln. The trail along Hwy 2 was congested, but I knew what to expect and just passed people on the grass. Packet pickup was a cluster at 6:00 Saturday night. Simple logistics could solve that bottleneck. Expo needs to be held in separate or larger room. Absolutely need Half Marathon medals. It's not fair to the Fullers when a Halfie like me gets a Marathon medal. Would make a killing if they sold Half shirts, stickers, etc. along with the full stuff. Shirts were poor quality, but I had a good enough time at the race and have enough race shirts, that it's not a big deal to me. Overall, Lincoln has a great thing going. They're at a point where they need to respond to the growth, though, not squander it. A big race is totally different than a small race, and they haven't caught up yet.
J. G. from Belmar, NJ (5/7/2013) "Great little marathon in the midwest!" (about: 2013) 6-10 previous marathons \| 1 Lincoln Marathon COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 3 FANS: 4 I ran Lincoln this past Sunday for the first time. Great small marathon. Good course with some rolling hills. Great spectator support. I ran for the National Guard time trials and it was awesome seeing all the troops out there supporting the race and giving out water/gatorade. Very nice dry fit women's race shirt. I have to agree with the previous comments regarding the narrow bike path. There were 10,000 runners this year and about 6,000 of then ran the half marathon. There was congestion on that narrow bike path. The finish was the coolest finish- running into the Husker stadium to the 50 yd line as the announcer called out my name and where I was from. Medal was nice but they could make it a little larger. This was my 8th marathon and the saddest little medal...size of a medal I get from a local 5k or 5 miler. Overall great race. I will be back to do it again next year.
B. J. from Aurora, NE (3/29/2013) "Course changes needed, Finish was a bummer!" (about: 2012) 1 previous marathon \| 1 Lincoln Marathon COURSE: 4 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 I agree with many others that the course along Hwy 2 needs to be looked at as well as the second half of the course. Being my first marathon I didn't know what to expect. Very congested on Hwy 2 bike path. Not enough support on second half, both fans and food/water. My goal was to finish, and I did under the time allotted, but at the finish, there was no food left, no announcer, no massage, no nothing... Please have medical staff around for us fools that come in after 5 hours, we are most likely in more need of help than the faster, in shape runners that are done in under 3 1/2 hours. Maybe you should tell the hoard of 1/2er's to leave a little fuel for the marathoners still to come in.
M. R. from Omaha, NE (9/15/2012) "Course change needed at bike path" (about: 2012) 4-5 previous marathons \| 3 Lincoln Marathons COURSE: 3 ORGANIZATION: 4 FANS: 3 When the course hits the bike path, there has always been a congestion problem. I don't understand why you don't move this part to Hwy 2, which goes along the path. Just close one side of the Hwy and congestion wouldn't be a problem. There isn't that much traffic at that time of day anyway. This would eliminate the need to restrict the race to 10,000 runners and generate more income for the marathon/charity. Very little spectators during the 2nd half. Also, don't care for the down and back on the 2nd half, makes the course very boring and easy to lose motivation.

More Comments: [ < 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 .. 23 > ]

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